Brexodus – how will your business respond?

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the phenomenon described as ‘brexodus’ – the exodus of people from the UK as a result of Brexit – is accelerating. In the year between September 2016 and 2017, around 130,000 EU citizens left the UK for good, the highest number since the financial crisis of 2008. […]

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the
phenomenon described as ‘brexodus’
– the exodus of people from the UK as a result of Brexit – is accelerating. In
the year between September 2016 and 2017, around 130,000 EU citizens left the
UK for good, the highest number since the financial crisis of 2008. Should this
worry UK businesses and if so, what can they do?

How big is
the problem?

Workers from the European Union make a sizeable contribution
to the UK employment market. Nearly 3 million EU citizens have made their home
here, accounting for over 7% of the overall workforce, which is nearly double
that of workers from outside the EU.

Around 20% of small businesses employ EU staff, although
figures vary widely depending on industry sector, with some areas being much
more heavily reliant on European workers than others. Agriculture, hotel and
catering, and construction and manufacturing are the main areas where a much
higher proportion of EU employees can be found.

In construction, 12.6% are workers from outside the UK,
climbing to nearly 50% (!) in London and the South East, with nearly half of
employees coming from recently joined Eastern European EU countries. With a marked
downturn in East Europeans keen to fill positions and returning home
instead, British construction sites are now feeling the effects of a
potentially serious labour shortage.

It’s a similar story in other industries. In the hospitality
sector, one
in ten workers is thinking of leaving the UK due to Brexit, while
the Chief Executive of Care England, representing nearly 4,000 social care
providers, said that the problem
of EU nationals returning home was now ‘quite significant’. Things
look no better at the top end, with more than half of skilled EU workers
employed by FTSE250 companies predicted to leave, according to a recent
survey.

While the UK’s decision to leave the European Union was
taken in June 2016, there is still much work to be done to determine what our
post-Brexit reality will look like, both in economic and political terms.
Companies in the UK may be desperate for clear government guidance and more
detailed information about what Brexit will mean for them in the longer term,
so that they can plan accordingly.

In the meantime, the only thing that seems certain is that
net migration will continue to fall while many EU citizens are now looking for
work in countries other than the UK. Businesses here, then, can expect to brace
themselves for a more restricted supply of foreign workers while those that
employ a large proportion of EU staff would do well to redouble their efforts
to retain them.

New
immigration rules

After much pressure both from EU countries and at home
regarding EU citizens’ rights after Brexit, the government has sought to
minimise disruption, agreeing a transition period between Brexit Day on 29th
March 2019 and the end of December 2020, during which time employment and
residency rights will be unaffected.

A new ‘settled
status’ will replace the current EU permanent residency laws for EU
workers which gives EU nationals the right to remain in the UK indefinitely
after 5 qualifying years here. The new system is slightly different and less
complicated to administer, though the 5 year qualifying period remains.

How can UK
employers retain EU workers?

With a change in immigration rules, it is essential that existing
EU workers in the UK are supported in any way they can. The new
applications procedure will affect all EU citizens in the UK, and any
emotional, practical, administrative and even financial help UK employers can
give are bound to be hugely appreciated.

Companies with less developed HR functions may need to make
an extra effort or seek external support themselves. Finally, employers who are
less than forthcoming in providing help and guidance to their EU staff are most
at risk of losing their valued workers.

Need for
more training

However, when all is said and done, companies in some
industries know that they won’t be able to rely on being able to recruit
sufficient British workers, either because the work itself, or the remuneration
for it, is considered unattractive.

Cross training existing staff into different roles is one
way to adapt to the new reality, increasing productivity without the need to
raise headcount. Apprenticeships are another way to create a suitable workforce
and avert skill shortages in the longer term, particularly for mid-skilled
administrative and technical roles previously occupied by a large proportion of
EU nationals.

Technology
and automation

With skills shortages unable to be filled easily with
imported labour, it might be time to increase investment into automation,
robotics and Artificial Intelligence, at least in some industry sectors. Labour
saving technologies would seem particularly viable in the labour intensive
building industry, while the use of online accounting, invoicing, payment and
debt management software is also on the rise.

Finally, CRM technology and online marketing tools are
becoming easier to use, while the need for sophisticated and sustained
corporate marketing communications has never been greater.

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